Pequannock Hoe-Down costs cut in half in 2012

It appears the annual Hoe-Down festival at Greenview Park will continue due to the success of cost-saving measures intended to cut the price tag for the one-day event, said Township Manager Dave Hollberg.

Resident Lou Hebert brought the issue up at the Sept. 25 Township Council meeting and asked the governing body whether the Sept. 15 fair broke even this year. Hollberg replied that, excluding overtime for Department of Public Works workers who cleaned up afterward, it cost about $400.

"It was not a huge cost, and depending on the direction the council wants to go… I don't think that $400 is an outrageous amount of money to spend to provide that type of event," he said.

Even after overtime costs were added, Hollberg later said, the bill was about $3,800 — a far cry from the $9,000 to $10,000 that it had cost in prior years — and the festival is one of a handful of town-sponsored affairs that aren't expected to break even anyway.

However, the price of prior years' events did attract attention from some council members at budget meetings last year, which led to the administration's attempts to cut costs in 2012 by renting one large tent instead of two and abstaining from bringing in a trailer-based stage for music.

"Based on the discussions we've had, we intentionally tried to change up a couple things we did so the net cost was less, and we achieved that," he said. Hollberg reiterated that he felt the Hoe-Down to be an important community event because of the scores of business, service organizations, and small vendors it brings out.

Although there is no official count, the manager said that thousands make their way through each year.

Mayor Rich Phelan agreed, and said that he thought it "very successful."

"We took a hard look at it and we were like, 'Wow, we didn't realize that it cost so much,'" he said. "But they revamped it a little… and it was great turnout and everyone was very pleased about it.… The name of the game isn't to break even. It's to give back to the town."